HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXSH

So there's this super awesome seriously amazing homie that's kind of sort of pretty much been there next to me my ENTIRE life, through all its phases. To say this human has made an impact on my life would be an incredible understatement. Well, it's her birthday today. So here's to 15 years of memories. Here's to you, Lex. Buckle up for a trip down memory lane.

                                        

Rushing every day to finish all of our homework on the bus on the way home from elementary school so we could watch Arthur on PBS right at 3:30. Completely dominating Hershey track and getting first in all our races—purposefully registering for different events so we wouldn't have to race each other (competitive much?). Playing "Kick The Shins" at recess AKA run up to the cute boys in our grade, kick their shins as hard as we could then sprint away into the safe haven of the girls restroom. Saving up money to purchase a horse together that we'd keep in our backyards just so we could ride it down the hill to the local grocery store, Reams, tie it to the bike rack outside and buy Peachie-O's gummies. The many fashion shows and dance performances starring our infamous threesome of "BAM" (Acronym for Brooke, Alexis and Melissa). Bob's Furniture Warehouse (HAHAHA) Beating all the boys in Mr. Anderson's P.E. class (we were the teacher's pets FOR SURE haha). Inventing horrific concoctions in the kitchen we'd submit to the tv show "ZOOM" in hopes of making it big and being featured on their show (needless to say our recipe of potato-chip m&m sandwiches wasn't selected. bummer). Bringing a boombox outside to the front driveway where we'd blast dixie chicks and play Horse (yes I used to be able to actually keep up with you in basketball once upon a time hahaha). Skipping seminary (sorry mom) to go get Betos. Streaking across the high school football field at 2 in the morning. People always asking me where you were if you weren't right next to me—we were literally attached at the hip. Going off the jump behind the bleachers in good ol Gus (her beloved truck—oh the memories). Ditching our dates at dances to break it down & rap every word to Nicki Minaj in the middle of the dance floor. Refusing to begin any soccer game without our pregame handshake (like there were times the ref had to delay and wait for us to finish our shiz before starting haha). When I got in a bit of a tussle with some headstrong chick on the other team in the middle of a game and you had to literally pull me away so I didn't deck her. Pranking coach Kronkie constantly with cans of garbanzo beans. Morning Temple trips. "DEEEE!!!" Being your number one fan front row at all your basketball games and catching each other's eye the second right after you won state and both tearing up a little (hehe cheesy). Sitting next to each other on signing day as we each signed our lives away and began our lifelong dream to play collegiate sports. Passing you the baton in the final leg of the 4x400m relay aka "da bestie handoff" and me being just about ready to collapse and die. Winning the state track championship together against all odds by only 1.5 points and screaming & hugging each other the moment they announced it. You always giving me the hardest time for wearing a bow in my hair on game day. Giving boys a 1-10 rating on how good of kissers they were. Sitting in the middle of the high school soccer field after our last game our senior year until it got dark, not wanting it to ever end. Talking in Gus-Gus voices and having everyone think we were insane. Getting a bit competitive & riled up going against each other in soccer practice, but back to being besties the second we walked off the field. You always having my back & calling me to update me on any dish about ex boyfriends and who was making out with who at "world's greatest" (springville's high school makeout lookout spot) LOL LOL LOL. Sneaking into the spanish fork res at night to swim and narrowly avoiding them coppers (haha ahhhh good times). Swallowing live goldfish for $5. (S/) to Trevy!!!) Dressing up as polygamists to go to the USU howl and being the most modestly dressed humans in the entire vicinity. Making music videos to Eminem— "MOM's SPAGHETTI!!!" Calling you up the moment I knew I was going to marry Chase to tell you all about it. Surprising me and driving all the way up to Logan to watch me play—me glancing over and seeing you in the crowd which resulted in me squealing and totally missing the ball I was so distracted. Riding our bikes around the SHS hallways in the middle of the night (....don't ask). Hugging you the moment I came out of the temple (GREATEST MOMENT EVER). Me bringing the biggest most annoying posters to all your BYU basketball games and dancing and being super obnoxious to make it on the jumbotron. Hanging out w/ your super cool parents—my second parents—Aleisa & Big Al. Me always bragging my brains out about you because you're way too humble to ever make a big deal out of anything. You having flowers sent right to my house on my USU senior game because you couldn't make it to watch me play. The "Classic Pose." Being each other's biggest fans throughout college sports and always sending each other pregame good luck texts/phonecalls. The ugliest most horrific snapchats. Calling you crying when I found out you received All-American honors. You and Chasers become the greatest pals. The "Hunter half smile." Always picking up right where we last left off despite the distance.

JUST BEING BESTIES AND STUFF.

Yep. All that was just the tip of the iceburg. Seriously I could go on for HOURS. The fact of the matter is that Alexis Vickie Eaton is somebody special. SERIOUSLY. There's literally nobody in the world like her. If you've had the opportunity to know this chica at all or even talk with her for a few minutes—you know EXACTLY what I mean. Nobody else shows such humility in the face of such incredible accomplishment & skill. NO ONE has both the heart of a champion AND a heart of pure, solid gold like my girl Lexsh. She's absolutely brilliant, devoted to her family & loved ones and continually strengthens my testimony with her spiritual example. She's ONE IN A MILLION & has found the most amazing man (Hiiii Trevyyyy) who treats her as such (I'm absolutely ecstatic for her wedding in a little over a month!!!). This measly little blogpost was the least I could do.

Happy Birthday Lex. So pumped to have you as my lifelong best friend. Love you long time.

BROOKE 'N LEX 4EVER. (MUAHZERZ) XOXO

The Raddest Year of my Life Displayed in Numbers

July 13, 2013 was a pretty freaking rad day. And since then life has been nothing but just RAD. People always say their wedding day was the best day of their life, but I say naaah to that. Each day has gotten better and better since then. Happy 1 year Anniversary to my sweet scruffy, sleep-hiccuping blue-eyed beebz. 

Here's our 1st year of that marriage thing shown in numbers:

0 — both the desire for and number of kids we have right now
1 — teary goodbye when we sold our beloved bullet bike
2 — strangers on separate occasions mistaking us for siblings
2 — number of sizes too big my gorgeous wedding dress is now (LOL)
2 — weeks until Chase is all done with the darn DAT (Dental Admissions Test) that he has worked oh so hard to study for all summer (we're talking 9am-11pm...every single day)
3 — countries traveled together
3 — little potted plants we named and treated like our babies... until we forgot to water them and they died
4 — very colorful words Chase used over the phone while racing home to save me from a stalker who followed me from the gym
4 — minimum # of "ILY's" said back and forth every day
5 — instances of locking ourselves out of our townhouse
5 — hours lost at 12pm mountain biking in the middle of nowhere
6 — wild kittens that live behind the dumpster next to our house 
6 — different instances of Chase nonchalantly bringing friends upstairs as I'm standing there in my G's... don't worry I somehow dove out of the way just in the nick of time on each occasion
7 — tubs of protein devoured (ranging from Vanilla to Chocolate, to Cookies n Cream, to Salted Caramel Pretzel)
8 — strawberries that were somewhat accidentally flung by me onto Chase during the heat of a moment in a little bit of an argument........(hahaha ugh... we can laugh about it now)
10 — lessons total given between us in our callings as Relief Society & Elders Quorum teachers
10 — girls Chase tutored last semester that came on to him before realizing he was a married man 
20 — minutes spent holding a baby lion named Kovu in Mexico
20 — times Chase has carried me upstairs to bed after falling asleep on the couch 

24 — nights of jumping fences late at night and sneaking into hot tubs

29 — large jars of Adams peanut butter we've gone through
30 — midnight runs to Maverick for frozen yogurt
34 — combined number of burps we've accidentally let loose in public (cause we burp as often and as loudly as we want at home OBVIOUSLY. If you're married and you don't, then idk who you even are)
45 — sundays we were late for church (yes I realize how pathetic those statistics are)
60 — people that have told me Chase looks exactly like Liam Hemsworth
70+ — hours spent watching 24 and/or Law & Order SVU
101 — freckles (roughly) Chase successfully counted before giving up
110 — minutes (1 hour 50 min): how long it took for us to climb Angel's Landing and back — we were mountain goats in a previous life
188 — google searches of "Sexy Black Toyota Tundra" on Chase's laptop... which we will in fact be purchasing within the next month just fyi :)
202 — times been asked when the heck we're going to have kids (uhm sorry but GAG ME)
364 — days of being supa dupa happy :) 
646 — miles driven from Logan to Chase's hometown, Cardston, Alberta
2,000 — dolla dolla bills spent on getting Chase's green card
2,344 — (approximately) Canadian-style "Eh's" I've let slip into my regular vocabulary
1285040928394 — ab-busting deep stomach laughs


Infinity ∞ — the time I still have left to be with my dimpled sweetheart (SCORE)

Beautiful

what is beauty?

the captured raw emotion of a candid moment — a still-life slice of reality

sleepy eyes and just-brushed fur

lazy morning scruff kisses and too many "your mom" jokes

so-brand-spanking-new-they-haven't-even-kicked-a-ball-yet-let-alone-even-been-walked-in Nike Mercurial Vapors

mint-green chipped fingernails 

dark chocolate super-bowl sunday strawberry footballs

afternoon naps with the ones you share your DNA

where no greater peace is found

sisters and snowshoes

sweet potato carrot curry bisque you make for your love on a cold winter's evening

The quiet, almost eerily solitude of nature

the smile on your face after biting into literal perfection. 

all sorts of happiness tucked away in a tupperware on my lap

peace signs & sincerity

 

smoothies that inevitably leave your lips a blueberry blue throughout the entire day

A healthy way of life

Just the way you are — imperfections and all—

                                                                                         

beauty is you

You Light the Spark to my Bonfire Heart

You light the spark in my bonfire heart

Before you read this post, just take a listen to this song. Pretty please.

I think I knew early on. I think I knew the day you came to my game and watched us beat Seattle in the WAC conference tournament semis. I’d met you a week before. After my family and friends congratulated me, you stood off to the side, smiling to yourself at the ground. Your hands were in your pockets. When you finally made your way to me, you whispered in my ear.

“You know when you wrecked #20 and just got up and walked away like it was nothing? Yeah. That was hot.”

Or maybe it was when we went with a bunch of friends up the canyon to have a fire. We were making s’mores and telling stories when you jumped up and said you needed to get something from the truck. A minute later you emerged into the clearing dragging an axe. Somehow I wasn’t surprised whatsoever. Without giving anyone a chance to say anything you abruptly climbed a nearby tree and began hacking away at one of its dead branches. You said the branch was dead and just in the way, so you needed to fix it up so it looked better.

Your roommate Taylor jokingly said it wasn’t manly unless you were doing it shirtless. With no words or hesitation — but I noticed a slight smile — you ripped your shirt off, threw it to the ground and aggressively continued chopping. I started choking on the chocolate-marshellowy mush in my mouth between uncontrollable laughs. Pieces of graham cracker spewed out with every guffaw.

I think I knew then.

*Cliché warning* I fell hard. I’m talking face down in the concrete from a 60-story building hard. I was vulnerable and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel in control.

Crazy to think that early on I almost broke things off with you only one month into dating because I was POSITIVE I wasn’t nor would be ready at all to get married anytime within the next two years. So, to avoid further attachment and inevitable hurt hearts, I thought I should end things. One night, I was freaking out and crying on the phone to my mom.

I was completely taken aback by her response. She said something along the lines of:

“Brooke... don’t mess this one up.”

I have no doubt she was completely inspired in that moment.   

Given my history and experiences, all I have to say is Heavenly Father sure has a way of letting His children know what He wants them to do — no matter how stubborn or in denial they may be.

So, months later, I found myself up Smithfield Canyon on a hot May day — hands over face and goose bumps on legs — staring wide-eyed down at a Canadian boy who was on one knee asking me a question. THE question. I had chills sooo bad (hence the goose bumps). Amidst the moment of excitement I accidently swallowed my gum (uh oh, looks like it’s stuck in my stomach for seven years). I had to take a big gulp to make sure it wasn’t still stuck in my throat (so I didn’t sound like a smoker-grandma when I responded) and then proceeded to make by far the EASIEST no-brainer decision of my life.

**gulp** “YES! OF COURSE! DUH!”

“People like us

We don’t

Need that much

Just some

One that starts

Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts”

 

Then there was July 13, 2013. The most beautiful and perfect overcast day I think there has ever been on this earth. Obviously I’m biased, but whatever.

I’d pictured this day for my entire life. I’d pictured my hair, my dress, my groom… everything. I just never imagined it would have become a reality so soon. So much sooner than I’d planned my life to play out. But Heavenly Father has a bigger plan than our own personal stubborn agendas.

It was the most beautiful and perfect overcast day. Wait did I already say that? Gawwwwsh. I will save my wedding day details as another blog post entirely… but it was something special.

It was the day we committed to love each other for eternity.

So here’s the thing. Before you, I was happy. Very, very happy actually. It’s not like I was this sad lonely creature or anything. Life was going GREAT. I was happily in my major with great teammates, friends and roommates. I was even kind of dating someone. Kind of. But life was so so good.

But then you.

I didn’t know what I was missing until I had it. But I discovered pretty quickly that thing you had (whatever the heck it was)… yeah I wanted it. I had to have it. I had to have you. Soooo I kinda let the other dude down easy — after just one date with you.

I wasn’t just happy anymore. I was contagiously happy. Smiling and laughing more than normal. Incredibly content with life.

You know that little smile and satisfied sigh you do when you’re by yourself and thinking about something good that’s happened that day? Or maybe you do it after you get a particular text from someone. Or eat something yummy. Whatever. We all do it. Well, I’ve found myself in a habit of doing that a lot ever since you came around. It just happens. No, it’s not like I’m sitting in class day dreaming of you smiling and sighing to myself like an emancipated junior high school girl. I’m smiling and sighing just because. Not even thinking about anything in particular. I’m smiling and sighing because I feel so satisfied with life and where I am. Excited about where I’m going. Smiling and sighing because I just feel so full of happy and love all the time that I just have to breathe some of it out every once in awhile.

You started something. You brought something on. I’m more me. My average happy level has gone up about 40% (…I don’t know, 40% just sounded good). My heart feels like it's grown three sizes. I've cried more happy tears in the past year than in my entire life. My annoying guffaw of a laugh is a little louder.

You started a fire. And it turned into a freaking bonfire. 

“Days like these

Lead to

Nights like this

Lead to

Love like ours

You light the spark in my bonfire heart”